Mikasa the Soccer Mom
by garaXxXhinata69
Summary: Mikasa is Eren's overprotective older sister. Levi is Eren's unrelenting soccer team captain. There is a conflict between the queen and king, and Eren may just be the pawn being used to wage a much bigger war. (Levi/Mikasa, highschool AU)-ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

So I love Riren, but I think there should be more Rivamika out there-because it's really hot, and there's so much potential there

Anyway, this is my contribution. I usually stick to oneshots, but I'm going to try to continue this. Maybe.

000

* * *

She tried not to look too relieved when the door finally opened. He'd probably guess that she'd been waiting for him, that her doing homework on the couch was just an excuse to be near the entryway, but Mikasa didn't really care. Older sisters had the right to worry about their little brothers.

She brought it up as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"Eren. This is the fourth time you've come home late this week." Her tone was level and cool as always, but he took it as a provocation.

He glared at her warningly with his bright green eyes, setting the gym bag slung over his shoulder on the ground. "I have soccer."

"Soccer practice ends at six. It's almost ten."

He sighed, "What? Are you going to bitch at me because it's a school night? Mikasa, you're not my mom. I'm not some little kid."

"What have you been doing Eren?" Mikasa ignored him totally, "Have you been smoking? Drinking? You're not involved in any gangs are you? Please just tell me why you keep coming home like this. You look terrible." With each question she took careful steps toward him until she was close enough to pull pleadingly at the edges of his sleeve.

Eren sighed again, a little less angry as he realized that it just couldn't be helped. Mama bear wouldn't be stopped with words.

"The captain's just really strict," he explained, "I'm still only good enough to make last string, so I mess up a lot…he's been keeping me after to do extra drills and…..cleaning and stuff."

As the sentence trailed off, a new gleam stuck in Mikasa's eyes. And the boy wanted to hit himself. He'd been careless.

Shit.

Eren quickly waved his arms in an attempt to halt her inevitable reaction, "It's fine though! I'm getting better! I'd probably be doing extra practice anyway! Really, I actually like it! It's the highlight of my day! I'm so happy that captain gives me such opportunities!"

It was too late though, and the atmosphere surrounding Mikasa had become black and cold.

"He makes you _clean_?"

He vainly tried once more, "Really it's"—

Mikasa grabbed Eren by the collar, eyes blazing ice.

"What's his name. Your captain's."

Eren swallowed. No matter what he did now he was fucked. Even if he stayed quiet, she'd find out eventually anyway.

A hand to his face, he sighed again. "Levi. It's captain Levi. Just please don't do anything to embarrass me Mikasa. You know how much soccer means to me. Just…please."

She gently removed her hand from his collar, returning to her usual calm.

"I know. Sorry."

* * *

Yes, Mikasa knew how much soccer meant to Eren, so she wasn't going to let some asshole team captain ruin it for him.

Eren had always been a good kid, but before joining a soccer team he'd had some anger issues-some problems controlling himself. Mikasa remembered sitting in therapist's waiting rooms, picking up Eren after school from detentions, holding her little brother's hand as he cried that he hadn't meant to beat that kid up, that he just didn't know what had happened, that he hated himself for it. Nowadays he wasn't exactly _calm_, but soccer had given him a healthier outlet to drain away most of his rage energy.

And he loved the game. No one could beat her brother when it came to hard work and determination. Sadly, the same couldn't be said when it came to actual skill. Eren managed to make the team in both middle and now high school, but he could never brake out of the second string.

Well, he was still just a freshman.

That thought just made Mikasa worry more though. She was a senior. There was only one more year that she could be there for Eren.

* * *

The next morning Mikasa and Eren walked to school from their apartment with their neighbor Armin. So far, neither of them had brought up the discussion from the night before. Mikasa didn't plan to. She could handle the situation on her own. She didn't want Eren to worry more than he had to.

There wasn't another word about it, and they all parted ways before first period as per usual.

Mikasa's first class was English. She paid half attention to the discussion on Dickens, but really all she was thinking of was how to track down this "Levi" character. It was a big school and she didn't know that many people to begin with. Mikasa wasn't a loner; she just wasn't very outgoing and didn't really try to be. Aside from the few people she cared about, not many people really came up on her radar.

Levi. The name sounded a little familiar. She could ask Annie or Sasha about him. If worst came to worst she could just wait around the soccer field. No. She didn't want Eren to be there.

Levi. She'd definitely heard it before, but no faces came to mind. Maybe she could ask Eren for a description. She'd have to make up a reason for wanting to know, of course.

"Levi! Yes, you can have the last comment before class ends."

The teacher's voice sent a shock through her spine, pulling her out of her thoughts. How? Had she been reading her mind? But no, that wasn't it. The teacher was gesturing toward her though.

"Actually, I was just going to ask how long the paper is supposed to be," the boy sitting beside her was replying in a tired, flat tone.

Mikasa didn't hear the teacher's answer. She turned her head to stare at him. The teacher hadn't been gesturing toward her. She'd been pointing at "Levi", the student seated right next to her.

All this time, Eren's tormentor had been right before her eyes.

She waited until class officially ended before saying anything. The second the bell rang, she turned toward the boy.

"You're Levi."

He gave her a blank look, and then continued gathering his books.

"I'm busy."

Mikasa guessed that was a bad start. He probably thought she already knew his name, seeing as he'd been sitting next to her for almost a quarter now. It could be seen as an odd opening statement. She'd get straight to the point.

"We need to talk."

This time he looked up with something akin to suspicion, then looked away again.

"No, I need to get to my next class. And you need to get out of my way."

Mikasa realized her chair was blocking Levi form leaving. The way he was dismissing her made her want to trap him there. She glanced over him as he stood up, waiting for her to move. He was pale and dark, short, but with mature, defined features. There was something dangerous, intimidating about him. Of course, she didn't care about things like that. But kids from the next class were already filing in, and this wasn't the optimal environment for a confrontation anyway.

She slid out of her chair and let him pass.

"Meet me by the vending machines before soccer practice."

* * *

Levi was already waiting when Mikasa got there. He was leaned against a coke machine drinking from a can with fingertips loosely grasping the rim. He saw her and carefully set the drink on the ground.

"Before you start —the only reason I'm here is because I'm curious as to why the ice queen Mikasa Ackerman is suddenly so eager to talk to me."

Mikasa didn't react to the less than polite greeting. She'd heard the nickname before, and she was getting the feeling that this was just the way Levi talked.

"You're the varsity soccer captain, right?" She had to be sure.

He gave her a tired look.

"Since sophomore year. You really don't pay attention to your surroundings do you? I've even seen you at games this year. God, If I didn't see your test scores I'd think you were an idiot."

Mikasa ignored the insult. It was partly true, she didn't pay attention to things she felt didn't concern her. She'd gone to every single one of Eren's soccer games and hadn't even taken the time to watch anyone besides her brother play. Seeing as he was basically a benchwarmer, this meant soccer games were essentially just outdoor homework sessions.

But that was all besides the point.

"You've been mistreating my brother. I want you to stop."

Levi's eyes narrowed. This hadn't been what he'd expected.

"Your brother?"

Mikasa glared at the question in his voice, like _who_ he was mistreating was the problem-not the fact that he was doing it in the first place, which he didn't think to deny.

"Yes. Eren Jeager."

Levi sighed, careless, like he hadn't noticed how Mikasa spoke through a clenched jaw. "Little brother Eren, huh. Different last names. You must have some fucked up family shit going on or something, yeah? Not that I want to hear about it."

"We're foster siblings." She threw the set response back at him.

"Yeah well, anyway, I don't know what constitutes 'mistreatment', but you can go tell brother dearest that if he can't deal with my methods, he's free to quit at any time. No one's forcing him to be on the team."

Even from his slouched stance against the vending machine, there was something threatening in the way Levi was now staring at her, a warning to choose her words carefully. He wasn't going to play nice.

"Really, because I'd think a decent captain would be able to lead a team without resorting to treating his men like dogs."

Levi straightened his back, taking a step towards her. Had she struck a nerve?

"Like dogs huh," he repeated her. "Did Eren tell you that? Because something tells me you're making some assumptions."

She silently glared at him, not flinching as he took another step towards her.

"Something tells me Eren didn't ask his older sister to confront me like this. The kid sucks at soccer, but he's not a coward or a weakling. And he's never complained about anything before. Actually, he seems to enjoy following my orders— sometimes I even worry he might be getting off on it...so really, I don't think anyone really wants you stepping in like this, not to mention that it's none of your business in the first place."

Mikasa couldn't help raising her voice in protest, "Eren doesn't know what's good for him!"

Her brother was _always_ her business.

And suddenly all her concerns were gushing out of her mouth, in a frantic, un-Mikasa-like manner, "You're preventing him from getting enough sleep. He's exhausted. And he probably isn't eating properly either. Plus there's all the emotional stress. On top of that, now that I know you're an asshole, I don't want you to influence his personality. Or his social interactions. And what about how extra practice time affects his academic performance? I just, I, I need to be sure that he's happy on this team!"

There was a stretch of silence where in Mikasa tried to catch her breath and Levi stared out as if he didn't know how to react. His eyes, opened a fraction, no longer held his lazy, half-lidded gaze.

"Huh. So the ice queen is revealed to be an unhealthily obsessive mother hen." A sigh. "Well, that's not a very attractive trait."

Mikasa scoffed, regaining her composure, "Like I care. Just stop pushing Eren so hard. Stop keeping him late. And stop making him do your fucking _cleaning._"

Levi frowned.

"Don't get me started on that brat's cleaning skills. Really, I'm doing you and your household a favor."

He wasn't taking her seriously. Mikasa narrowed her glare, about to make a new threat before getting cut off by Levi's raised hand-

"Look ice queen, I only have five more minutes till practice starts, so pay attention." Levi centered in on her with his gaze. "I'm the captain and I make the decisions. You can take it up with the coach, but seeing as you're a regular student and little Eren wouldn't even take your side, nothing would happen. My advice: let it go. Stop obsessing about your little brother and maybe actually pay attention to one of the hundreds of boys always chasing you. Seriously. Jean really needs to get laid."

With that, Levi picked up his empty soda can on the ground and started to walk away.

Mikasa wasn't especially cut by his crude speech. She didn't even really care about getting the last word. But she was still concerned; she wasn't at ease. Maybe she was some over-protective mother hen. Maybe she was being obsessive. Mikasa realized she'd lost. Her normal intimidation hadn't worked against this boy, and there wasn't really anything she could do. But she didn't want the conversation to end here. She wasn't done.

"Wait," Mikasa started, before Levi could leave.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder with an annoyed expression. But he waited for her.

"Is Eren doing well on the team? Does he really enjoy putting in extra work?"

Levi made a face like he wanted to throw up.

"You…wow. The extent of this mother-side of you is really amazing. But, yeah, Eren loves soccer… so much that it's kind of irritating."

Mikasa took a deep breath. "Okay."

Levi raised an eyebrow. " 'Okay' what ice queen?"

"Eren seems to be complying with your treatment so far, so I'll allow it."

"You'll _allow_ it," he replied slowly.

"Yes," she affirmed. "I'll allow it for now, but the moment he says anything, the moment you cross the line, don't think I won't be there, ready to beat your face in. No coach can stop me from doing that."

He scowled at the threat, though he probably didn't know it wasn't figurative. But Levi seemed to decide to leave it alone there. He had to get to practice. So he just nodded in acceptance and started to walk away again.

"God. That was disappointing. The ice queen talks to me for the first time in four years and all she does is gush about her little brother and threaten me with my life."

* * *

000

I know this feels very prologue-y...

I tried to capture Levi's bluntness, because that's one of my favorite parts about him, but honestly, I forgot how hard it is to not make everyone OOC -_-

Anyway, comments are encouraged~


	2. Chapter 2

So I wrote more-don't really know where I'm going with it.

Also, I know nothing about soccer or what is done at soccer practices.

But you made it to the second chapter~congradulations

OOO

* * *

"Jeager. What the hell are you doing. Look at the fucking ball. "

Eren had been casting nervous glances at him all throughout practice. Well, Levi had been on the kid's ass a little more than usual. But it was only natural, really, after all the trouble the brat had caused him today. He couldn't help indirectly blaming him.

They were finishing up the practice with a shirts vs. skins scrimmage, and he and Eren had wound up playing on the same team. Therefore, Eren's careless mistakes were directly hindering him; Levi would have paid extra attention anyway, but now the kid was really on his radar. Even he had to admit he was being overly nitpicky; Levi found it sickly humorous how Mikasa's bitch fit had had the opposite effect of what she'd intended.

In the end, the match was lost with the combination of Eren's lackluster defense and a goalie, Alert, who was clearly afraid of the ball-despite having the best player, Levi himself, on their side. Of course, it wasn't a real game against a real opponent, so it wasn't as if Levi had gone all out. The goal from the start had been to let weaker players get more experience on the field, to fix their mistakes now so they wouldn't make them later.

But Eren most likely didn't realize this. When Levi called him over after the scrimmage to speak with him privately, there was a look of fear in his eyes, like a puppy cringing before getting kicked.

Not that Levi kicked puppies.

Eren obviously thought he was going to yell at him for his performance; which, really, didn't even make any sense, because Levi had already just been doing that, in front of the entire team, over and over again. Since when had he been so soft that he took players privately aside to critique them? This was soccer, sometimes called football, but never called let's-be-nice-and-considerate-of-everyone's-feelin gs-ball. Even if Levi was the type, that level of sensitivity would be too damn inefficient to ever work.

He let Eren cringe in anticipation through an awkward space of silence.

But then the brat looked like he was about to say something cutely determined or sentimental, like "I'll do better next time" or some other shit Levi didn't even want to imagine, so he started before Eren had the chance.

He looked the boy squarely in the eyes.

"So does your sister go to all your games Jeager?"

Eren tensed. It seemed to take a second for him to comprehend that this was not, in fact, him getting reprimanded. Once it appeared that that had sunk in, his expression hardened, for a moment, in a way Levi had never seen before.

He swallowed. "You mean Mikasa. So you know her."

The brat wasn't very good at masking the nervous caution in his tone. His "so you know her" had sounded like a preemptive apology; "so she got you". Now Levi could tell that Eren was definitely aware of his sister's overprotective tendencies—and that he recognized his captain as a prime target for them.

Levi frowned at him.

"We are in the same grade. " he answered flatly.

Eren appeared slightly relieved at this reply.

The brat reached to rub the back of his neck, trying to be casual, "Yeah. I guess you're right. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she does come to all of our games…"

Levi tried not to scowl. It wasn't like he actually cared about that; it'd just been a question to get Eren's attention. Plus, it wasn't like he and the rest of the team hadn't already noticed the infamous ice queen sitting in the front of the bleachers at every single game that season. What, had Eren really come to think that they were having a friendly chat about game attendance or something right now?

Levi always found himself in these sorts of predicaments. He really wanted to set this kid strait, but he also didn't want to have to explain himself to him.

To be honest though, Levi didn't exactly know what he was doing. There hadn't been a plan for this. He'd just been annoyed. He'd felt irked throughout the entire practice, recognized Eren as the closest thing to the cause of that, and impulsively acted to address the irritation without actually deciding how.

He could beat the shit out of Eren right here. That would do the trick. But that would also be stupid and way too risky in terms of his own clean record. Not to mention the whole part about harming an innocent kid without reason. Despite what most thought, Levi was harsh, but not arbitrarily and not thoughtlessly. He had good reasons behind his actions. Usually.

No. He needed to get back at the bitch in a less direct way. In way she couldn't fight back against so easily.

An idea came to mind.

"Eren." Levi called the boy to attention.

"Yes!" the boy responded, a little too quickly.

"Inform your sister that she's banned from attending our games from now on."

The brat's stare widened, taken aback at the sudden order. His earlier suspicions that something unpleasant had occurred between his sister and his captain were now confirmed. Levi watched him hesitate. He hoped he wasn't stupid enough to ask about it.

"But..Levi…" he started, "can you even do that? I mean, games are open to the public, and it's for the school and…"

Levi's eyes narrowed.

"Are you trying to tell me what I can and can't do Jeager?"

Eren waved his hands in denial, "No, of course not, just…"

He spoke before the kid could ramble any more.

"Make sure she gets the message. That's it. You can go home early today."

It wasn't mentioned that this "early" was actually the time practice was scheduled to end. Levi's standards were implicitly understood by now.

Eren nodded. "Yes, uh thank you. I'll let her know."

He took Levi's non-response as a signal of dismissal, and rushed to escape as fast as he could without being outwardly rude. Levi watched his new messenger recede away with blank acknowledgement.

He could've just let it go, he knew. He was just making his own life more troublesome. And he hated troublesome. But then she'd been the one to make the first move. This was just return fire.

Levi didn't really see his motivation running any deeper than retaliation; he did feel something, though, as he pictured the ice queen's face when Eren told her, knowing that Levi was behind it all.

* * *

A rare smile ghosted Mikasa's lips when she came home from an honor society meeting to find Eren already there.

It disappeared when she saw the look of sheer rage he was giving her.

Eren was yelling at her before she could ask what was wrong.

"What the fuck Mikasa? What did you say to Levi? I thought you said you weren't going to do anything!"

Mikasa remained calm, slowly moving to set her things down and close the door behind her.

"I never said that."

"Don't give me that!" Eren shouted back accusingly, "You definitely gave the impression that you weren't going to do anything!"

She remembered that she had done something like that. She hadn't planned on informing Eren about her confrontation with his captain; Mikasa was happy defending her brother from the background. Levi must have told him about it. For some reason, she hadn't thought he would do that.

"Did I?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, clearly getting annoyed.

"Sorry. I had to protect you though."

Mikasa wasn't very good at lying or sounding remorseful when she wasn't. She was just being honest. She had done what was best for Eren. It confused her why this seemed to upset him so much.

Eren let out an angry sigh.

"I get that you don't think I can handle myself Mikasa, but I can, really. You just make things worse."

Mikasa's face flashed with concern.

"Did Levi do something _worse_ to you?"

Eren gave her something of a hopeless look, dragging his hands down the sides of his face in frustration. "No! Oh my god! No! You really can't stop, can you?"

Mikasa didn't know what to say. She hated to see Eren angry, but she'd never really known how to make him feel better. She wasn't good with these things. And now it was worse because she herself was causing it. The only route she'd ever taken was physical confrontation, fighting off the ones who hurt her brother. But how could she fight off herself?

She sent a desperate hand forward to touch Eren's shoulder, which he wordlessly shrugged off.

"Whatever," he whispered, not looking at her. "I don't even want to know. I'm going to the gym to practice."

Mikasa stood frozen in place. She watched Eren walk around her to grab his gym bag, hanging it over his shoulder.

He only turned around to face her when he was halfway through the door. "Oh, and by the way, don't come to my soccer games from now on."

* * *

Mikasa didn't even glance at Levi when she set her books down on her desk in English class the next morning.

There was a substitute teacher that day. Levi had his head resting sideways on folded arms, probably figuring he could get away with sleeping through class. His eyes flickered open when Mikasa sat down next to him.

He watched her with lazy suspicion as she arranged her things in silence.

Mikasa tried to ignore the attention. Eren didn't want her to talk to Levi. She wasn't going to start anything. She wanted to. After meeting with him she was convinced that this was not the kind of person her brother should be around. But that was what Eren wanted. As long as that was his decision, she would have to allow it. Until he crossed the line, that was.

Levi continued to stare, like he was expecting her to do something.

She wasn't going to. She waited for him to give up. But even as Mikasa refused to acknowledge him with eye contact, she couldn't relax knowing he was looking at her.

Eventually Mikasa heard Levi sound a sigh of impatience.

"I guess I misread the situation," he started tiredly. "I thought you'd be more pissed off."

Mikasa allowed herself to turn toward him, presenting a constructed blank expression.

"Why. We settled everything yesterday. I don't care as long as you don't cross any lines and Eren doesn't complain."

At this Levi threw her a dubious look, glancing up at her with a silent scrutiny.

"So you don't care about not coming to any of the games."

She managed to conceal her surprise. The remark hurt, digging into fresh wounds.

How had he known about that? Eren must have told him about their fight. Levi must be being smug right now; he must be trying to rub it in that Eren had become angry with her.

She frowned, thinking how upset Eren must have been to have gone to this person to vent

"No. Eren doesn't want me at them. There's no reason to go anymore." She replied simply. Of course, he already knew that. That's why he'd brought it up, just to make her say it.

Levi didn't swoop in to mock her though. He eyed her suspiciously again before an annoyed expression washed over his features.

"So that's how he told you, huh. Fucking brat."

She narrowed her eyes. She didn't know what he was getting at, but decided to take it as a threat.

"Don't think you can do anything to Eren just because I'm not there. I'll know."

Levi scoffed. "What? Do you have Eren-radar or something? Never mind. I don't want to know what kind of weird surveillance devices you've had implanted." He continued in a tired voice before Mikasa could cut in, "Don't worry; Eren doesn't get out on the field enough. I won't even have the opportunity."

"_And _let him play more."

He started readjusting his resting position, signifying that he was done with the conversation, that he wasn't even going to acknowledge the idea.

He only responded when his head was facing the opposite direction."I play to win ice queen. And I don't take fucking suggestions from people who don't know shit about soccer. Now shut up and let me sleep."

Mikasa was happy to return to silence. But for some reason being disregarded also upset her.

"_You_ were the one who talked to _me_," she whispered, then added, "And who said I didn't know shit about soccer."

Satisfied with the last word, Mikasa grabbed her soft jacket as a pillow and turned to sleep facing the opposite direction.

* * *

OOO

Thanks for reading! feedback/ideas welcome :D


	3. Chapter 3

I don't know ANYTHING about soccer. You might be able to tell, seeing as I skip over the actual soccer/action parts in this chapter-which maybe makes my writing more disjointed than usual.

But it's cool that you made it to this chapter :]

Congratulations! (last time I spelled this wrong. Pretty embarrassing. But not like I'm going back to fix it or anything.)

ooo

* * *

"So I hear you're all buddy-buddy with the ice queen now Levi."

Hanji. Of course she would be the one to block him just as he was about to escape from the classroom. And school had just ended too.

"Who told you that." Levi retorted with his usual disinterest, but she'd succeeded in catching his attention.

He'd forgotten the capabilities of high school girls. He hadn't thought much about how suddenly being seen talking with Mikasa might cause a stir, but he guessed it made sense, her being the ice queen and him being well, himself , and all. Also, it was creepy realizing that people had been observing their encounters.

"Oh, there have been multiple reports. Multiple."

"Whatever. Hurry up and spit it out what you're going to say so I can leave."

He wasn't that curious. He mostly just wanted to get Hanji off his back.

There was a common misconception that Hanji was one of the few people Levi let in. This was false. He couldn't remember ever "letting" her do anything. She just didn't fucking listen when he told her to get the fuck out.

"Well, pretty much everyone in your first period's been gossiping on about how you two suddenly can't stop talking to each other."

Levi made a face.

"We had one conversation in English class. It lasted five minutes."

"Oooh, keeping track are we? Wish it had been longer?"

He didn't respond, just glared. Hanji didn't seem to notice, going on with the same enthusiasm.

"Anyway, that's not it! It has also been said that you were spotted secretly flirting by the vending machines! You didn't do anything naughty did you Levi?" she raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Instinctually, he continued to glare; but he was a man, and she'd basically put it in his mind, so Levi couldn't really _not_ picture pinning Mikasa up against the coke machine and…

"Levi?"

"What." He snapped at her. "Stop wasting my time. I have things to do."

Hanji flashed a discomforting smile, "Ohh what things captain? Mikasa Ackerman's among them, I presume?"

He ignored her, steering the conversation where Hanji's perverted mind couldn't reach.

"Practice. We can't fuck up at the game this weekend."

Hanji noted the change in Levi's tone.

"You're playing the Titans right? Our rival team."

He looked at her seriously.

"Yeah. And we're going to annihilate them."

* * *

The first half of their game verse the Titans had gone well. Levi had been a little skeptical of coach Erwin's strategies, but they'd actually worked pretty well. Not that he was surprised; Erwin was a soccer genius—that's why Levi listened to him. At the halfway mark they were up two to zero, on the road to victory.

But nothing could have prepared them for the second half.

Honestly though, even the best team couldn't win against a bought ref, and that clearly was what they were facing. The Titans were fouling left and right, tripping payers, grabbing jerseys. It was ridiculous. Erwin finally called a timeout when one of the Titan's basically sprained Marco's ankle, taking out one of their core players.

And Levi was _pissed_.

The rest of his team hurried to huddle around Erwin. It took them a moment to realize the direction Levi was heading-not towards them- and by then it was really too late.

All they could do was watch helplessly as Levi proceeded to curse out the ref.

Green card.

Yellow card.

Red card.

Result: best player, disqualified from the game.

Some things just couldn't be helped...

Coach Erwin sighed as Levi turned around to regroup with the rest of them.

"At least I got to scare the crap out of that piece of shit ref." Levi offered in defense to his teammates.

Some of them nodded, thinking that it might actually be a pretty fair consolation for losing their best player, considering how truly frightening Levi could be when he put his mind to it.

Armin spoke up, "But Levi, there're still ten minutes left. Who are we going to put in in your place?"

The captain gave the question some thought.

There was no way they could win now, even if the ref suddenly started playing fair. So really, it didn't matter who subbed in. He might as well put in one of the rookies; at least they'd get some experience.

Somehow, Levi wound up staring over at Eren. The kid was seething on the bench, looking ready to kill something. Soccer was a sport that required extreme control. Normally, the captain probably wouldn't put someone so emotionally charged in the game, but…

'_And_ let him play more'

No. He wasn't actively going to give her what she wanted. But she wasn't even there, so it wasn't like it would matter. It would just be Levi, acting on one of his whims, nothing more.

"It's too bad Mikasa won't get to see you play. Get the fuck out there Jeager."

* * *

Erwin had to hold Levi back.

Eren had been about to score when one of the Titans had kicked him full force in the knee cap, sending him sprawling to the ground at an odd angle. The snap had been audible. There had been no reason for the Titans to go that far—their victory had already been assured. It had been plain cruelty, and it hadn't even been called as a foul.

"Erwin, let me go." Levi ordered. "I need to break all of their legs."

The older man tried to calm him. "Levi, it's okay. I'll handle this. As soon as I can I'll make a formal complaint to the league about the Titan's conduct. Doing anything rash right now will only make our case against them weaker."

Levi glared darkly for a moment before relaxing in Erwin's grip.

"Fine. I might track some of them down later though." He motioned toward Eren's direction before the statement could be commented on, "But what about the kid."

Eren was laid out on one of the benches with a cool rag on his forehead and ice packs pressed against his most likely broken leg. The other rookie, Armin, was kneeling by his side.

"He should be okay," Erwin answered. "We'll probably need to get him to a hospital—and this has probably been his last game this season—but I think he'll be able to deal with the pain till then."

Levi nodded in understanding. "Okay. I'll take him there. I drive fast." He started to pull loosely out of Erwin's hold. "Let me go. I won't kill anyone."

The coach reluctantly complied, not quite trusting the boy.

Sticking to his words, Levi made his way over to Eren, who appeared to be dealing with the pain pretty well. No crying. Armin also seemed to be good at caretaking. Of course, the kid still definitely needed to see a real doctor.

Levi was about to tell the two that he'd take them to the hospital when a figure, moving way too fast, rudely barged in front of him.

It made sense when he saw the red scarf.

"Armin. Eren. Where is he."

Armin must have called and told.

Levi sighed, standing beside the nearly manic girl. And he'd thought Eren had seemed intense before. Mikasa looked downright murderous.

"M-mikasa?" Eren spoke weakly, lifting his head from the bench.

When she saw him there, it seemed as if something broke inside her. The ice shattered. In a shallow breath Mikasa's face turned pale, her stance soft, her eyes hallow.

Levi watched her take small steps forward until she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around Eren. And Eren actually reciprocated her embrace. The scene didn't look like one of a mother and a child. Or of a sister and brother. It looked like one of a girl and the boy she loved.

Levi broke the moment.

"You're not permitted to be here Ackerman."

Mikasa whipped her head around, just taking notice of Levi's presence. It was impressive how quickly her expression switched back to homicidal.

"Says who." She questioned.

Levi met her glare head on.

"You were banned from attending soccer games after threatening the captain of the team. Eren was supposed to have informed you of that."

She might have actually snarled at him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Eren give him an apologetic look.

"So that's why," she whispered fiercely. "You're the reason Eren told me not to come. This is all your fault. If I'd been there, this wouldn't have happened."

Levi looked down at her unrelentingly.

"No, you couldn't have done anything; you'd just be getting in the way like you are right now. I'm taking Eren to the hospital. You should leave before I decide to penalize you for coming here." His voice was cold and dismissive even to his own ears.

Mikasa grimaced.

"Eren's hurt."

"It's a broken leg, not a gunshot wound. He's fine."

Levi observed her gaze narrow. Mikasa was ready to pounce on him, and Levi almost wanted to see her try; however, Eren caught her wrist before she had the chance.

"Mikasa, really, I'm okay. I'll get it bandaged up and stuff and then I'll come right home. It'll be fine. Just go home."

She didn't turn to look at him, eyes fixed on Levi.

"Eren, I'm not leaving you."

"Mikasa, we don't have a car." The kid tried again. "We're lucky Levi offered to drive me. This is the best option, trust me."

Levi watched her grit her teeth at him before finally dropping her gaze.

She took a deep breath and exhaled."I—okay. I'll let him drive you. But you need to call me every fifteen minutes."

Eren didn't hide his relief. "Thanks Mikasa. I'll get home as fast as I can!"

Levi scowled when she smiled.

"I'll make all your favorite foods for dinner."

"Yeah, that would be"-

"Shut up Eren. We need to get you to the hospital, come on." Levi stepped forward to lean over the boy. He was ready to leave, and it wasn't like he was going to stand there while they talked about fucking dinner plans. He was glad when the uncharacteristic shine that had entered Mikasa's eyes disappeared, and she began to glare at him once more.

He ignored her though.

"Armin," he ordered the boy who, so far, had just been standing there passively, "support Eren on his other side. We need to get him to my car."

Levi and Armin walked over to Eren where he lay; planning to lift the injured boy's arms over their shoulders, but then Mikasa spoke up again.

"Levi, wait," he stiffened when she said his name, "if you can take Armin, then you can take me too. I _am_ the one responsible for Eren's health."

He spun around.

"And you," he addressed her, "fucking leave already. I have everything handled; you're in the way."

"Levi," she repeated.

"I'm not taking you," he emphasized. "You keeping me here is only prolonging little Eren's suffering."

And at his last words, the same shine as earlier re-entered Mikasa's eyes. She was reaching back towards Eren.

"Eren, are you suffering that badly? Please, let me"-

"No." Levi cut her off. "Shut up Mikasa." he wouldn't let her continue. "Someone, Jean, get over here and walk the ice queen home."

* * *

Somehow he and Armin had been able to get Eren in his car and finally leave the soccer field.

Levi checked on Eren in the back seat through the rear view mirror.

He looked a little too happy.

"Why are you smiling brat. Aren't you supposed to be in pain? If you're faking a broken leg then don't think I won't give you a real one."

The kid laughed stupidly.

"ha ha…no, I'm pretty sure this is real. I was just thinking about how no one's ever been able to face Mikasa like that. It was weird to see...It was kind of like she finally met her match."

Levi's face was composed.

"Shut up Eren."

* * *

ooo

Thanks for reading

I get that nothing romantic has happened so far...but it's really hard to make Levi show those kinds of feelings. I need to work my way up to it...give me time!

But I tried to hint at some (maybe unhealthy?) affection this chapter.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, to any of you who have made it this far!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, it continues...

I'm going to be honest-I had a lot of trouble with this chapter :(

but hopefully it turned out okay?

Also, thank you for all of the reviews~they've been encouraging :]

ooo

* * *

Mikasa wasn't in English that Monday. She wasn't one to miss class; the girl might not be enthusiastic about it, but she was a pretty diligent student.

Levi wondered if she was angry at him.

It was a stupid question. Of course she was. She was probably busy devising an attack plan at that very moment. Her logic was really fucking twisted- maybe he hadn't gone out of his way to be all nice about it, but he had taken her shitty little brother to the hospital. If anything, she should owe him.

But it wasn't like he hadn't known. Mikasa was a little insane when it came to Eren. He'd understood that beforehand. Before he'd taken it upon himself to get more involved.

Levi stared blankly at the empty chair beside him.

He'd gotten the call from Erwin late the night before. The Titan's assistant coach had admitted to the board of the league that he'd bribed the ref in the second half. The results of Saturday's game had now become null and void; in one week there would be an official rematch in order to determine the real winner.

While it could've just been because he was the captain, Levi was pretty sure that Erwin had only given him the news before the rest of the team in hopes of keeping him from doing anything violent on his own. He wasn't sure if he would have or not—but he liked this way better. Levi would get the titans back for what they'd done to his team.

And for some reason he'd thought about telling her that this morning.

But It didn't have much to do with her anyway. Sure, Eren was a victim; she probably hated the Titans as much as he did. But she wasn't on the team. It didn't matter for her.

* * *

"Mikasa. I have a broken leg. I'm not sick, please stop making me eat chicken noodle soup!"

Eren wondered how it was that Mikasa was an A student. Was it really okay for her to be skipping school?

Mikasa had decided to stay home from school that day in order to properly take care of Eren. Eren had been forced to stay home from school that day in order to be properly taken care of. He'd gotten a pair of crutches from the hospital, so he could get around, but Mikasa had insisted that he needed to take more time to get used to them.

"It's good for you though."

She was holding the bowl out to him.

"No it's not! It's just sodium!"

Eren shook his head, giving up. "Whatever. I'm going to get some ice cream. I need to consume some actual calories."

Mikasa didn't let him reach for his crutches.

"Wait. don't get up, I'll get it for you. It'll be faster. "

She was back with a bowl of ice cream, and something else, in her hands before he could protest.

"Here." She handed him a thermometer. "Take your temperature first. You're not supposed to do it after eating anything above or below room temperature."

Eren let the thermometer drop from his grip and hopped up on one leg to snatch the ice cream bowl from her.

"Broken bones don't cause fevers!" he yelled indignantly, falling back on the couch to guard his prize.

Mikasa darkly eyed the thermometer on the floor. There was a pause before she appeared to relent.

"Okay."

She still seemed hesitant as she sat down next to him.

After finally settling down on the couch, the two of them resumed watching TV. Mikasa was actually reading a book and Eren was absently flipping though his phone while simultaneously trying not to spill his ice cream.

He suddenly jumped after reading a new text message.

"Oh my god. I have to find a ride, since I can't just walk to school anymore."

Mikasa looked at him curiously, lowering her book. "I thought Jean agreed to drive you to school after today?"

Eren shook his head,"He did. This is different. Armin's at practice right now. Erwin just told them that last weekend's game didn't count. We're having a rematch next Saturday—and I have to be there to see it."

"A rematch." Mikasa repeated him slowly.

"Yeah! Except this time they can't cheat."

"Against the team that did that to you."

"Yeah, and I'd let them break my other leg if it meant beating them!"

* * *

Levi had just dismissed his team early from practice. After he and Erwin had passed on the news they'd all been too hyped up to focus much. Levi had decided to let them off, knowing that the next day he'd be running them into the ground.

So now he was alone on the soccer field, absently going through footwork drills.

Being the captain, he had the ability to cut the others a break, lighten their load every once in a while. But he could never do the same for himself. No, he couldn't allow his body or mind any rest. They'd used up all of Erwin's strategies. The titans weren't going to be easy to beat. He'd have to lead every play perfectly if they were going to win.

"Your coach told me I'd find you here."

His eyes snapped fully open. He brought his ball to a quick halt, trapping it beneath his foot. Levi hadn't even noticed her coming up behind him.

It wasn't like he was going to let her think she'd caught him off guard though.

"Yeah, well, you could have also found me in class this morning. Didn't bother showing up then." He made a point of not turning around to acknowledge her. He couldn't guess why she was there, but he was too aware of the long, tiresome interruption of his practice that loomed with her presence.

"I was taking care of Eren."

He let out a sort of disdainful huff.

"Of course you were."

She said nothing.

His back still turned to her, a stretch of silence actually passed by with Mikasa just standing behind him, not responding. It made him wonder, briefly, if she might possess the social grace to realize how badly he wanted to ignore her right then.

Mostly though, it just pissed him off, because fuck, she'd already broken his concentration. She couldn't take that back.

"So. Are you going to tell me why the fuck you're here," he finally spat out. "If this is a sneak attack, you're doing it wrong."

"No…It's not." She answered, too softly, "Levi. I have a favor to ask."

He wished he could've read her expression. He really couldn't guess where this was going.

"Favor, huh," Levi repeated it. "Well that's pretty fucking suspicious, coming from you."

And it was, really. Even more so when Mikasa didn't respond immediately.

She was hesitating. It wasn't like her, and it was unsettling.

Levi glared impatiently at her over his shoulder, "Hurry up and ask it then ice queen, since you came all the way here to bother me. It better not be about the school work you missed."

There was a break as he heard her take a breath.

"I want you to let me play."

He turned around completely now.

"What?"

Mikasa seemed to straighten, presenting him with a firm gaze, but still clearly uncomfortable with having to ask him for something without her threats.

"I talked to the coach, but he said that I needed… your permission. I want you to let me play."

He eyed her warily now. He thought he might understand.

"Let you play," he repeated tonelessly. "As in let you play….soccer."

"Yes." She affirmed carefully. "Yes. Soccer. Against the Titans."

It was unbelievable even for her.

He took a sharp breath.

"Mikasa, I understand that you might want to 'avenge' the shitty brat, but it takes more than just blood lust to win in soccer."

"I understand that."

The certainty in her tone grated on him.

"Good. Then you understand why your favor is idiotic. Now leave." He waved her off.

Maybe the dismissal sounded harsher than he'd intended, but Mikasa probably wasn't going to listen anyway. She was clearly twisted in some fucked up Eren-centered logic again. And here he was as the one to deal with it.

He silently cursed Erwin, knowing he'd pushed her on him on purpose.

"Levi."

He let out an irritated sigh.

"You really love to show me attention at the most inconvenient times, huh."

She seemed to look past his barb.

"Put me on the team. I'll take Eren's spot."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Eren's spot?" he questioned flatly. "If the brat ask you to do this, then tell him not to waste his time worrying about it; it's not like he would normally play in a big game like this, injured or not. There's really no spot to fill that would make a difference. "

Mikasa shook her head, taking a step towards him.

"Levi, listen to me."

And it was really fucking annoying how big her eyes were when she said his name.

Levi knew he should feel some satisfaction, finally having some power over her, gaining a new edge. But he wasn't even the cause of her desperation. And it wasn't like he could do what she wanted to fix it.

He clenched his jaw.

"No Mikasa. There's nothing you can do. If you need revenge, then come watch me play. I'll definitely get it for you." Levi locked her in his gaze. "So don't try to do stupid things. Especially not because of Eren."

He kept his eyes on her.

Not many people could look him directly in the eyes for long, but Mikasa broke away faster than he would've expected. She was shaking her head.

"I'm not going to just watch Levi."

He shouldn't have been surprised at how she could dismiss his words so easily. For some reason though, it really pissed him off.

"Don't come then. I was forgetting that you were banned anyway."

Mikasa stepped towards him again, still shaking her head.

"No, it's not that. Listen to me Levi. I'm good. I'm really good. Put me on the team. We'll win."

He froze. Then he gave her a rare confused look.

"You-"

She finished his thought, "Yes. I play soccer."

"You play soccer."

"Yes, that's what I just said."

Levi paused. He took a moment to look her over, contemplating the new information, before flicking his gaze back to her.

"And you're good."

Mikasa kept her face blank.

"At least twenty times better than Eren."

Levi wasn't sure if that meant anything. But he was intrigued, he couldn't lie. There had been questions floating in his head about the ice queen, but now there were more. However, now wasn't the time to get them answered.

His blood was pumping.

He gave Mikasa a straight look out of the corner of his eyes as he leaned down.

"Well I'm not going to just take you're fucking word for it."

He dropped the ball on the ground between them.

* * *

ooo

Again, this has been my least favorite chapter to write...I hope you can't tell

but thanks for reading it! And making it this far!

Comments and critiques are more than welcome :]


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